Marin recalled that people who were unable to escape came up a flight of stairs shaking their heads and saying, "No."

"I sat there and accepted the fact that it was just over for me," he said about the fire on Dec. 2, 2016, that killed 36 people.

Marin was the first witness called by prosecutors as they try to persuade Alameda County Judge Jeffrey Horner that defendants Derick Almena and Max Harris should stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges.

Almena rented the warehouse and lived there with his family. Harris also lived in the building and helped Almena book musical acts and sublet the space to artists.

Prosecutors say the men knowingly created a firetrap and deceived the building's owner, police and fire officials about people living there. The two have pleaded not guilty and say they are being scapegoated.

The warehouse had been illegally converted into living space for artists, was cluttered and had no fire alarms or sprinklers.